Legalization of Online Slots Triggers Boost for Spanish Market

Last summer’s legalization of online slots play has served the Spanish online gambling market well, with revenues rising by nearly a third in Q1 as a result.

Gross gaming revenue in Q1 – ending 31

March – totalled €102.3 million. This was an 8% increase over Q4 2015 and a massive 32.1% improvement on the same period last year, according to data released by the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ).

Sports betting took home 50% of all online turnover and 57.3% of total revenue. Betting stakes were up 33% year-on-year, with €1.33 billion, and a 29% improvement in revenues was reported, to the tune of €58.6 million.

Pre-match betting and live in-play wagers accounted for 29% and 71% of online sports stakes, respectively. A more even split emerged between betting revenue – 41% from pre-match, 59% from live betting. Along with slots, exchange wagering was also approved last summer and garnered €7.5 million in stakes.

The legalization of online slots play brought positives for other areas of the market too. The casino vertical enjoyed a 90% increase in stakes, bringing in €899 million, and revenue climbed by 104% to €25 million. Slots themselves generated €247.7 million in stakes and €9.5 million in revenue, up 12% from Q4 in 2015. Other casino products benefited too – live and conventional roulette stakes were up 42.3% and blackjack up 27%.

Bingo also experienced some healthy gains, with stakes up 10.3% to €18.9 million and a 9.8% rise in revenue, to €2.2 million.

Despite the positive movements in the market, poker remains something of a spectre over all the good news. Revenue was down 12% year-on-year to €14.8 million, shared equally between cash games and tournaments. Poker stakes fell 18.2% to €411 million, with cash games declining by 19% and tournament fees slipping by 16%.

Operators licensed by Spain spent a collective €32.7 million on advertising their wares during Q1, up 46% from the same period in 2015. Their investment and hard work appears to have paid off – active users and total deposits were both up 40%, reaching 550,000 users and €271 million in deposited funds.